Main menu

Telephone Long Distance Using Cheap and Easy Routes

In some ways, because it’s so cheap and easy to telephone long distance, it’s taken some of the adventure out of traveling abroad, especially on long trips or backpacking tours of the world. One of the attractions was to be cut of from the rest of the world, but now everyone is traveling around with mobile phones in their luggage and is expected to call home from time to time just to check in.

When I’m overseas I simply carry a mobile that allows me to change the SIM card inside the phone. These can be purchased locally and often give you immediate access to the networks. It always a good idea to compare tariff and rates before buying, so it’s important to know what you will be using your phone for, i.e. local calls or communication abroad. When I was in the UK last, I bought a phone card called Asia Direct, or something like that. It cost just £10 and I was chatting to various countries in South East Asia every day for a week and still I had credit to spare when I left England. It was absolutely incredible value for money.

Though it’s now considered cheap to telephone long distance, it is still necessary to be mindful that some companies still charge extortionate rates for the service. Mainly hotels. In fact they probably make as much money on overseas calls as they do renting rooms! If you need to use hotel phones for any reason, make sure you check out the call charges in advance or you could be in for a nasty surprise on checkout!

I’ve listed below a few of the more popular ways to telephone long distance:

Mobile direct calling: Many special deals around these days, but check first. Also international Phone cards where you punch the details into your cell phone and dial a special number prior to connecting.